Mobile schools, Golden Corral team up for cooking competition

In an economy where many businesses and organizations are scrambling for market share and profit, Golden Corral and Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College, are pouring their resources back into the community.

In partnership with the Mobile County Public School System’s culinary arts program, Golden Corral and Culinard are teaming up to support education by hosting the third Golden Spoon competition, a culinary Arts cook-off event. The competition is scheduled for Saturday, April 18 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Culinard, located at 3725 Airport Blvd., Suite 165 in Mobile, Ala.

Culinard will provide Culinary Arts students in seven Mobile County high schools – Baker, Bryant, Citronelle, Davidson, Murphy, Vigor, and Williamson – an opportunity to demonstrate, practice and apply culinary skills they have learned in the classroom. The winning school teams will receive special recognition and cash awards, plus the seniors on the winning teams will be offered scholarships to attend Culinard.

Of the competition, CTE Executive Director, Larry Mouton, had the following to say: “The influence of the Golden Spoon competition goes well beyond the students who participate. The buzz generated at the schools and in the community creates excitement for not just culinary careers, but for all career paths. Golden Spoon shows that school has a purpose and that purpose is met by partnerships between secondary, post-secondary and the business community.

Each Golden Spoon team will consist of three students and will have two hours to create an appetizer, entrée and dessert using preselected ingredients. The teams’ entries will be judged on both plate presentation and taste by three prominent judges: Mike Wallace, Executive Chef of the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Gillian Clark, Executive Chef of Kitchen on George, and Stephanie Woods-Crawford, Director, Inspection Services for Mobile County Health Dept.

David Webb, Vice President for Golden Corral Corporation, expressed Golden Corral’s excitement over being part of this competition to highlight Mobile’s brightest and most talented Culinary Arts students, adding further “Our industry depends on schools developing the best food professionals they can, and this contest serves as an incentive for students to excel in the field.”

Stu Reed, CEO of Education Corporation of America, parent corporation of Virginia College, added, “We are excited to continue our relationship with the Mobile County schools and Golden Corral. This is a perfect example of how our schools work with industry and communities to ensure students learn the real-world skills and professionalism to be successful in their careers.”